Week Dedicated to Indie Bookstores Kicks Off in NYC

IBNYC, an alliance of independent booksellers in New York City, launched its first Independent Bookstore Week last night at powerHouse Arena, in Brooklyn. The party kicked off a citywide celebration from November 15 to November 21 that will highlight the diverse cultural contributions made by indie bookshops. Plans include a scavenger hunt, author appearances, special events, promotions, and in-store displays.

The launch party, which drew about 150 people, included live music and remarks on independent bookselling in NYC from local writers, including Kurt Andersen (Reset); Michael Greenberg (Hurry Down Sunshine and Beg, Borrow, Steal); and Jennifer Egan (The Keep, The Invisible Circus, and Look at Me).

Chris Doeblin of Book Culture said the event was a "huge success for independent bookselling in New York City." He also explained that the primary objective of Independent Bookstore Week was to attract enough media attention to "get people thinking and talking about shopping independent bookstores, and shopping locally in general." Among last night's crowd, he believes, were reporters from NPR's On the Media, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Oprah magazine. Coverage by any of these news outlets would cause "one more little bell to go off for people," he said, and they'll be encouraged to "stay off the Internet and out of gigantic mega retailers."

Kelly Amabile, events coordinator for WORD in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, noted that Independent Bookstore Week was a chance for indies to join forces. "A variety of stores around the city have created unique programming to take place during Indie Bookstore Week NYC. Of course, many of these shops already do wonderful events throughout the year," she said. "But it's fun to see everyone come together to collaborate and promote creative readings, sales, and giveaways all at the same time."

New Yorker cartoonist Bruce McCall designed a poster for the event, which will be on display at participating shops and available for sale.

Among Independent Bookstore Week events are a pre-holiday sale at Idlewild Books; a free homemade cookie giveaway from Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks; and simultaneous "shop local/eat local" events sponsored by WORD and another indie, Freebird Books.

Amabile also noted that courtesy of Gillian Lay, a Workman publishing rep, IBNYC will host a Photo Scavenger Hunt that runs all next week --"it's a contest that photo enthusiasts and indie bookstore fans should both love," she said. Details about the contest are available on the IBNYC blog.

Fittingly, Indie Bookstore Week NYC ends on November 21, America Unchained Day , a national campaign sponsored by the American Independent Business Alliance to encourage consumers to "unchain" for at least one day, boosting their local economy by shopping, dining out, and conducting other business transactions at neighborhood establishments. --Karen Schechner